Semi-Coercive Imperialist

“We will now resume the retrial of the defendant, Giorgio Chirico.”

The trial resumed after a recess.

However, the prosecutor seemed to have no intention to rebut, and the defense attorney rose first.

“I request Valerius Listmann, current head of the Listmann family and chairman of the Listmann Company, as a witness.”

All eyes turned to the place the defense attorney indicated. As the courtroom doors opened, Valerius Listmann appeared.

He looked haggard. In just a few weeks, the noble’s characteristic glamorous aura had vanished, and his complexion was deeply tinted with despair.

He took a seat at the witness stand.

“Before questioning the witness, I will present the submitted evidence.”

The defense attorney began presenting pieces of evidence one by one to prove Lorenzo’s innocence.

“What do you think about this evidence, witness?”

“…….”

Valerius closed his eyes. He said nothing.

“Speak! You’re the one who orchestrated all of this!”

Suddenly, Jerome stood up and pointed at Valerius.

“Speak! I said speak-!”

After shouting for a while, he was dragged out of the courtroom.

Money laundering is indeed a dangerous crime. Many more heads are likely to roll in the future.

Taxes must be paid.

“Order. Please maintain order.”

After calming the disruption, the judge looked toward Lorenzo at the defendant’s bench.

For now, Listmann was a witness, but if the verdict was overturned in this retrial, his status would change to that of a criminal.

“Does the defendant, Giorgio Chirico, have anything to say to the witness?”

At the judge’s question, Lorenzo nodded politely. He slowly stood up, supporting himself with a cane.

“Your Honor.”

Looking toward Valerius at the witness stand, he continued softly.

“Giorgio Chirico died long ago. On the day he was betrayed not only by his student but also by the Magic Tower he dedicated his life to, and his colleagues.”

Those attending as witnesses bowed their heads. Lorenzo looked around at each of them.

“……You’re only now telling me the truth. I don’t know if your feelings are genuine, but regardless, I thank you.”

Lorenzo let out a bitter smile.

“Perhaps the Giorgio Chirico of the past was arrogant. He may have been proud and conceited about his talent. He might have said things that hurt his student. However, he never, not once, felt jealous or envious of his student, nor tried to steal their achievements.”

Suddenly, Valerius’s shoulders trembled slightly.

“……Valen.”

Lorenzo called out his former student’s name.

In the Magic Tower, where even nominally, “status” is not spoken of, everyone is called by name or nickname.

“I’ve thought that the harsh words I spoke might have hurt you. But.”

I watched the two of them from one corner of the courtroom.

“Not once did I ever think your talent was lacking.”

This was a story between two scholars that I didn’t fully know.

“I just wanted you to spend more time in a dark laboratory than at a glittering party. I hoped you’d wear your research robe more often than expensive suits.”

“…….”

Valerius lowered his gaze.

“I truly believed that you could become a better scholar than me. That’s why I took you as my student and entrusted my theory to you.”

His face fell. The head of a noble family bowed his head.

“……That is all I have to say to the witness.”

Lorenzo concluded his words.

Now, the choice was Valerius’s.

“Witness, do you have any final words?”

I looked at Valerius.

“……I.”

A voice as if his vocal cords were scraped. His cracked lips trembled.

“I.”

He spoke as if vomiting blood, as if coughing up his organs.

“I stole your theory.”

He said only one sentence.

The entire courtroom was engulfed in silence.

Valerius bowed his head like a criminal, and Lorenzo closed his eyes.

I quietly stood up and left the courthouse.

Though the trial wasn’t officially over yet, his confession had effectively brought the retrial to an end.

“Where are you going?”

I was about to return to the Knight Order when someone stopped me.

It was Ezell.

“The retrial isn’t over yet.”

As expected, sharp as ever. I had deliberately kept my disguise a bit sloppy, but still.

“We’ve been seeing each other often these days.”

“Yeah. Here, take this.”

Ezell tore out a page from her notebook and handed it to me.

[……The logic of the strong is the logic of power. The strong oppress the weak. Because they are strong, they can dominate the weak.

But that logic must not be applied selectively. Those who have subjugated the weak as the strong must also accept that they can be crushed by those even stronger.

If they cannot, then it is not logic, but mere sophistry……]

“What is this?”

“Hehe. I’m a reporter for the Tower’s internal paper. Planning to publish this case in the next issue.”

Ezell took off her glasses. The dark circles under her eyes were still deep. I wonder if her dream is to become a panda, but considering all the things she has to do, it’s understandable.

“You knew Giorgio too?”

“Giorgio Chirico and the mana coil, pretty well-known story. Max, you did a good thing?”

For some reason, the word “good” felt unnecessarily heavy.

“I was just doing my job.”

“Still, it’s surprising. To forgive that man.”

“Who knows. ‘Haha, you’re caught. This was all a sympathy-inducing tactic to draw out your confession~’”

“…….”

Ezell narrowed her eyes. I cleared my throat.

“Can’t take a joke?”

In this bleak world, humor is essential.

Anyway, Lorenzo would drop the civil suit regarding the mana coil and make the patent publicly available for free. Although it was an outdated technology with not much royalty period left, it was still a decision close to sainthood.

“And, Max. I found evidence.”

Ezell’s words sharpened my gaze.

“Pexi?”

“Yeah. At least proof that there’s a connection…… Look.”

She handed over a document.

“Magic leaves behind unique traces, like fingerprints. It’s called ‘residue’. To fully understand this residue, you’d have to start with the definition of magic, but let’s skip the details. Do you see this mark here?”

At the first murder scene, there was a tire-like pattern in the alley.

“Why would there be tire marks in an alley?”

“Magic residue?”

“Exactly. Once it’s there, it’s hard to erase. I guess they didn’t have enough time during the first killing. Thanks to that, we can confirm the killer is a wizard. And I happened to see Pexi the wizard’s magic from a distance before.”

“The residue looks similar?”

“Yeah. I’m not certain though. But more importantly. Why did this brain-eater specifically cut off people’s heads? Did they really eat them?”

“I don’t know…….”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t really considered the motive behind the brain-eater’s murders. I just assumed they killed because they were Ezenheim.

But the Ezenheim were actually more focused on hiding their identity.

The type to sacrifice individuals for the sake of their people and purpose.

So why commit a conspicuous act like serial murder?

“……Ezell.”

Suddenly, a theory came to mind.

“Is there any magic that requires eating people to maintain itself?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean, a condition for maintaining magic, like cannibalism or something like that.”

“Come on. What are you-“

Ezell’s expression suddenly froze. Her pupils rolled as if rummaging through her mind, then- clap.

She clapped lightly once.

“……I’ve seen it. Chaos magic. The condition is extremely rare, like one in ten thousand, but still,”

“What is it?”

“Wait, I- I need to go first!”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll call you once I figure it out!”

“Tell me before you find out before I smack it out of you.”

“Max, you’ve got a sharp instinct! You’ve got talent! Keep digging!”

Ezell chattered as she ran off. I watched her nimble figure disappear and let out a bitter smile.

“……Unbelievable.”

***

Deputy Chief of Staff Jens’s office. He stared at the golden apple placed by the window, lost in thought.

Shiny. Sparkling. The way it reflected sunlight made it look truly appetizing.

But fruits like this cause trouble if eaten too soon. They must be ripened as much as possible and eaten when they are at their tastiest and healthiest.

Knock knock.

His secretary opened the door.

“Ah~ You’re here.”

The guest, Major Kai Han, stood at attention and saluted with a disciplined posture.

“Take a seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

He sat across from Jens.

“Have you heard the news?”

The lieutenant Kai Han had recommended, Lorenz Tilman, had been promoted to captain in this round of personnel appointments and assigned as the commander of the Fromm Company in the Magic Division. It was a rather prestigious post.

“Of course. So, this is… just a small token of our appreciation.”

Major Han handed over a small box. Jens opened the lid in front of him, making a show of it. It appeared to be a luxurious fountain pen, but in truth, the entire object was carved from top-grade mana stone.

Mana stones were even easier to liquidate than gold. Any Magic Tower in the world, any wizard, would buy them in unlimited quantity, and once used, they disappeared.

“Haha. My, my. You’ve been very considerate. Ah, and also.”

Jens smiled in satisfaction and took something out of his drawer. It was a thick notebook, hundreds of pages long, almost like a professional reference book.

“Take this. It’s my return gift.”

“……Sir?”

Major Han looked puzzled.

“Take it.”

In Jens’s assessment, Kai Han was a talented commoner. But commoners could only rise so far. Not merely because of their status, but because they didn’t understand the complexity and subtle nuances of noble society and, by not knowing, were bad at navigating relationships.

“It’s my personal notebook, where I’ve organized the names and relationships among military officers up to now.”

However, it was precisely because of this that Kai Han had caught Maximilian’s attention.

An honest, sincere, and upright commoner who would never betray. If trained properly, he could be used as a hand or foot within the Imperial Guard, and if things went south, he was a disposable soldier who wouldn’t cause trouble.

“Major Han. The Empire’s military is divided into three major forces. Do you know them?”

“Yes. The regular army, the Imperial Guard, and the Royal Guard.”

The regular army was the traditional and orthodox military of the Empire. The Imperial Guard was a newly cultivated force, personally empowered by the current Emperor. And the Royal Guard was the shadow that had protected the royal family for generations.

“And the Knight Order is an independent organization that oversees them all.”

“You’re well informed. However, war is coming. Whether large or small, internal or external. But you don’t even know exactly what kind of train you’ve boarded. You’re just fumbling in the dark. I understand. It’s because you weren’t taught.”

Jens tapped the notebook with his fingers. Major Han gazed at it steadily.

“You’ll start learning now. But you can’t afford to stay stupid any longer. To survive, you must lower your head, but to rise, you must stand and grab the rope. But the real beginning is from the moment you grab that rope.”

The brilliant name of Ebenholtz, an opportunity far too grand for a commoner to grasp.

“A commoner gets no second chances. It’s always a tightrope walk. The better the rope, the higher it is, and the higher you are, the more fatal the fall. And the rope that has come down to you…”

Jens’s gaze calmed quietly.

“Might be the one closest to the sky in this Empire no, on this continent.”

Major Han nodded with a firm expression.

“Memorize the notebook completely. Not a single word missing. There will be names of people already discharged or deceased, but memorize their relationships too. The next lesson can only proceed after you’ve memorized all of it.”

“Yes. Understood.”

He tucked the encyclopedia-like notebook under his arm. As he got up to leave, he hesitated, turned back, and saluted Jens once more.

“Loyalty. I apologize.”

“……I understand. I led you to it that way.”

Jens smiled to himself without realizing it. Surely, Kai Han must have thought of him as a foolish or greedy old man. There was no need to apologize for such inner thoughts.

“Go on.”

“Yes, sir.”

And so, after Major Han left, the office was left in silence.

“Maximilian…….”

Jens thought about Maximilian Ebenholtz.

He had already assessed him.

If there had been no reaction after receiving the gift from Major Han, he would have judged Jens as just another mediocre general, not worth further attention, treating him as a mere puppet.

But if there was a reaction, he would continue the transaction, considering him a partner worth conversing with.

However, he did not convey any of this intention to Major Han.

Until Major Han actually presented the gift, he had interpreted Maximilian’s intent as a simple request for favoritism, but in truth, it was a sophisticated test Maximilian used to probe Jens’s own intentions.

A commander gives an order to a subordinate excluding the most critical part of the instruction.

Only then will the subordinate walk into the jaws of death without suspicion.

“……So, he’s starting to bare his claws.”

What are the military rumors about Maximilian?

Extremely strict, cold, and ruthless.

During the Kailus purge, he personally beheaded an Imperial soldier. The official reason was breach of military discipline, but according to witnesses, it was ultimately because the soldier spilled wine on his knight’s uniform.

Even that was probably false.

Maximilian conceals his true intentions while crafting an image of fear around himself.

“For someone who can kill a soldier like a pig or dog…….”

The Maximilian that Jens had met in person was intelligent. Despite being visited without any prior notice, he wasn’t flustered, in fact, he acted as though he had expected it. He even seemed a bit pleased. That Jens had come to him, allowing him to observe the military more closely.

That same Maximilian had once been considered weak during his cadet days.

“So it was all a deception.”

Acting naïve makes it easier to learn what lies in others’ hearts. Nobles who wouldn’t reveal themselves in front of a great house like Ebenholtz would open up more readily to a seemingly feeble child.

“……Hah.”

A dry chuckle escaped him.

“This central power is bursting at the seams with just one monster.”

Now, the young offspring of that monster had begun eyeing the empty seat.

Jens felt a strong urge to retire, but he was already halfway hooked.

Thankfully, it wasn’t all bad.

Kai Han was smart. A soldier too valuable to be wasted just for being a commoner. If raised properly and placed on the right path, Jens could retire with more in his savings than he had ever managed to accumulate.